Arlington Select Board Approves Bus Lane On Mass. Ave.

ARLINGTON, MA – The select board this week unanimously approved implementing a permanent bus lane on Massachusetts Avenue. At the Feb. 25 meeting, the Department of Planning and Community Development presented the results of the bus rapid transit pilot, the MBTA data analysis and the post-pilot survey, recommending a permanent lane.

Town officials said the results showed the pilot "made substantial improvements in bus travel times and reliability, and resident reactions were overwhelmingly positive." The lane is expected to be implemented in summer 2019.

The pilot program ran from Oct. 9 to Nov. 9, 2018 on the eastbound side of Mass. Ave. between Lake Street and Alewife Brook Parkway for bus routes 77, 79 and 350. It relocated the bus stop to the far side of the Mass. Ave. and Lake Street intersection; implemented transit signal priority and a queue jump at the same intersection; the repurposing of parking spaces from 6-9 a.m. and traffic signal and lane changes at the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Alewife Brook Parkway.

An analysis of MBTA data showed that the lane saved an average of five minutes in commute time for all bus routes, according to transportation officials in Arlington.

Additionally, performance for routes 79 and 350 increased significantly during the pilot, and has continued to be higher than before the pilot was implemented, officials said. Moving the eastbound bus stop on Lake Street from the near side of the intersection to the far side of the intersection saved about one minute of travel time in the peak morning commute hours, they added.

The three surveys issued over the course of the pilot garnered 970 responses. In the post pilot survey, which received 382 responses, over two-thirds of respondents said they were very satisfied or satisfied with the pilot; 73 percent said the bus lane should remain; and 58 percent said the lane should be extended to Lake Street.

The majority of respondents were drivers and bus riders.

The bus lane will run eastbound along Mass. Ave. between Varnum Street and Alewife Brook Parkway, serving routes 77, 79, and 350 from 6-9 a.m. on weekdays. However, instead of using cones to delineate the bus lane from the travel lanes, signage and pavement markings will be used.

Regulatory signage will be placed along the bus lane to establish its location and indicating it will be enforced. Pavement markings will be placed along the dedicated bus lane to establish its location and clearly communicate to drivers that parking is not allowed at certain times of the day. Red paint and the words “BUS ONLY” will be used.

Bicyclists will also be able to travel in the lane without restriction during its hours of
operation. To ensure the bus lane is free from vehicle obstructions, the Arlington Police Department will dedicate one traffic officer to the area for the first 30 days of implementation to enforce the parking restriction in the bus lane during its operation.

After this 30-day period, a sector officer will be assigned to the area who can periodically monitor the bus lane for illegally parked vehicles and take enforcement action as necessary.

Keeping the parking lane clear of snow and ice is an important consideration to ensuring MBTA buses can travel through the lane in its hours of operation. The parking lane will be cleared as normal to the extent that parked vehicles and buses can use the lane after the snow event has finished.

However, if there is so much snow that the parking lane cannot be fully cleared, buses can continue to use the regular travel lane during the morning commute, as they do currently.

For more information, please contact Daniel Amstutz, Senior Transportation Planner, at 781-316-3093 or damstutz@town.arlington.ma.us, or visit www.arlingtonma.gov/projects.